Jeanne du Barry (2023), the biopic about the second official mistress of French King Louis XV, is out in theaters in France. Kendra and a very special guest, French costumer Fanny Wilk of the blog Temps d’Elegance and website My Costume, went to see it, and recorded a video review of the film.
Du Barry (1743-93) was famously the final mistress of French King Louis XV, and her low-born origins (she was not just a commoner but a former prostitute) led most of the Versailles courtiers to look down their noses at her, including Dauphine Marie-Antoinette. This film is directed by French actress/filmmaker Maïwenn, who is most well known internationally for having played the alien Diva Plavalaguna in former husband Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element (1997) but has done several critically applauded films in France. It stars Maïwenn as du Barry and Johnny Depp as King Louis XV.
Check out our video review of Jeanne du Barry, which will release more widely on Netflix in September!
slight correction… Jeanne was Louis XV’s 6th official royal mistress, and last of a larger number of unofficial mistresses.
No hair pins to be found? Ho Hum!
also sewn in Stomachers? Look at all the research they ignored! At least Johnny Depp is passibly 18th Century?
I think the pic you selected says it all!
Isn’t white still the colour of mourning in France? I’m sure it’s relaxed in this day and age. But I distinctly remember the Queen Mum (just the Queen then) made a Royal visit with her husband, George VI, to France in 1938, they radically altered her wardrobe so everything was in white, to reflect the fact the Queen Mum was in mourning for her own mother, who had died not long before this trip.
So Maïwenn did not honour her own countries customs while making the film. A tad irksome but sounds like this was kinda par for course.
“A” color for mourning (specifically royals & it’s debatable) & not “the” only or required color. Also, like black, just bec. it’s used for mourning doesn’t mean it’s restricted to mourning. Ppl wore black or white clothes throughout history (& in the 18th-c.) just bec. it was fashionable, even if it was also a color worn during mourning. Just as today!
The movie is just looking very poor to me. It seems to me to be a mix of 90s haute-couture meets 18th century. The actress for Jeanne du Barry just doesn’t look like the beautiful mistress although I think that Johnny Depp could be a good choice for the depressed old king. Nevertheless I suppose that Vincent Perez was the perfect actor for that important role. I think that it will be in our cinemas only for 1 or 2 weeks as the cast is not to the taste of a larger audience. I’m excited to see Pierre Richard and what he can do here…